Magazine for the car and truck fleet and leasing industry
Issue link: https://autofleet.epubxp.com/i/186381
With its fexible design and ease of upft, Ram's 2014MY ProMaster is particularly well-suited to a broad range of vocational uses from telecom to parcel delivery to food services. RAM PROMASTER: REPORTING FOR DUTY PHOTOS: RAM As the Ram ProMaster Van arrives on the market, it is particularly suited and fexible for specialized upftting and vocational applications. BY CHRIS WOLSKI T he Ram ProMaster full-size van has begun arriving in dealer showrooms and is demonstrating that it's ready for duty. Prior to its frst deliveries in September, the van received interest from a broad array of feets, which stems from its fexible design confgurations and its ability to be easily upft. "Tere has been an interest among a broad spectrum of feets. Tis is because of AT A GLANCE Prior to arriving on dealer foors in September, the 2014-MY Ram ProMaster already piqued the interest of vocational feets, including: ● Food service. ● Telecommunications. ● Delivery. ● Transporting. ● Parcel Delivery. 36 AUTOMOTIVE FLEET I OCTOBER 2013 the ProMaster's versatility and amount of best-in-class features, which really opens it up to the multiple vocations, and that was part of the design," according to Jim Sassorossi, director, feet commercial & rental sales for Ram. While the Ram ProMaster is new for the U.S. market, it is the continuation of a long tradition that began in Europe. Based on Fiat Professional's Fiat Ducato, the ProMaster has a lineage that stretches back more than 30 years of proven performance in the European and world markets. Tis gave Ram the ability to test the van prior to its American-version debut. "We were able to pull some Ducatos over here a year ago and have them in long-term tests, which have gone well," Sassorossi said. Engineered With Options in Mind Te Ram ProMaster models that are available are the 1500, 2500, or 3500 Cargo Van; 2500 Window Van; 3500 Chassis Cab; and the 3500 Chassis Cab Cutaway with three wheelbases ranging from 118 inches to 159 inches. Te ProMaster is available with two roof heights: 90 or 101 inches. Altogether, there are 14 diferent base confgurations of the Ram ProMaster available from the factory. Sassorossi noted that each van type is suited to a particular target vocation. For instance, the full-size Cargo Van has seen interest from the telecommunications, food service, vending, parcel, mobility, and commercial rental industries. Te Chassis Cab is particularly suited to the food and beverage industry, including bakery and linen services. It has also seen interest from the commercial rental and small service industries. Te Cutaway version of the Ram ProMaster is particularly cut out for RV and shuttle conversions. Jeremy Brown, head of Ram's vocational